Lady Marmalade
"It Took a Long Time" | Released = November 5, 1974 (US) November 22, 1974 (UK) | Format = 7-inch single | Recorded = 1974 | Studio = Sea Saint Studios, New Orleans | Genre = }} | Length = 3:56 | Label = Epic 50048 | Writer = | Producer = | Last single="Going on a Holiday" (1973) | This single="Lady Marmalade" (1974) | Next single="What Can I Do for You" (1974) }} "Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. The song is famous for its sexually suggestive chorus of "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?", which translates into English as "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?" The song was originally recorded in 1974 by the group Eleventh Hour. It first became a popular hit when covered by the American girl group Labelle. Labelle held the number-one spot on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for one week, and also topped the Canadian RPM national singles chart. The song has had many cover versions over the years. In 1998, girl group All Saints released a cover of the song that peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The 2001 version by singers Christina Aguilera, Mýa, Pink, and rapper Lil' Kim, recorded for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for 5 weeks. "Lady Marmalade" was the ninth song to reach number one by two different musical acts in America. Origin The song was written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, and was inspired by Crewe's experiences in New Orleans and the sex workers in the area. A sex worker named Lady Marmalade shows up to a man named Joe, flirts with him and takes him home. Joe drinks wine and he screams French words while she is in the Boudoir. The song was first recorded by The Eleventh Hour, a disco group made up of studio musicians fronted by Nolan on vocals. It was released in 1974 as a track on the Eleventh Hour's Greatest Hits LP which did not chart. Crewe showed the song to Allen Toussaint in New Orleans, and Toussaint then decided to record the song with Labelle. Labelle version Background and release Labelle's version of "Lady Marmalade" was produced by Allen Toussaint and Vicki Wickham. It was released in November 1974 from Nightbirds, their first album after signing with Epic Records. Patti LaBelle sang lead vocals on "Lady Marmalade" with backing vocals being contributed by band mates Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash. The song is best known for the French lyric "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" (English: "Would you like to sleep with me tonight?") in the refrain. Although "Lady Marmalade" is about a prostitute, Patti LaBelle, the lead female vocal of the band, said: "I didn't know what it was about. Nobody, I swear this is God's truth, nobody told me what I'd just sung a song about." Reception Steve Huey from AllMusic selected the song as one of the best tracks on Labelle's 1995 compilation Lady Marmalade: The Best of Patti and Labelle. Critic Robert Christgau described it as "great synthetic French-quarter raunch." "Lady Marmalade" is billed as the song that made Labelle one of the "hottest girl groups" of the 1970s. It was a number-one hit for one week on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States during the early spring of 1975, and charted at number one for one week on the Billboard Top Soul Singles chart. Along with the track, "What Can I Do for You?", "Lady Marmalade" peaked at number seven on the disco/dance charts. The single also charted at number seventeen in the United Kingdom. "Lady Marmalade" replaced another Crewe/Nolan composition, Frankie Valli's "My Eyes Adored You", as the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, a feat that made Crewe and Nolan the third songwriting team in Billboard history (after Lennon–McCartney and Holland–Dozier–Holland) to replace themselves at number-one. Billboard ranked it as the No. 22 song for 1975.Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1975 Labelle performed "Lady Marmalade" on Soul Train on December 7, 1974. "Lady Marmalade" debuted at number 92 on the Canadian RPM singles chart on February 1, 1975. It subsequently peaked atop the chart on March 29, 1975, after five weeks on the chart. Labelle's version of "Lady Marmalade" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003. and was ranked number 479 on Rolling Stone s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The Labelle version also appears in several films, including The Long Kiss Goodnight, Dick, and Jacob's Ladder. It was featured on the video game Karaoke Revolution Volume 2 as a version performed with Patti LaBelle. Credits and personnel *Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx & Sarah Dash – lead and backing vocals *Allen Toussaint – keyboards, percussion, arrangements *Art Neville – organ *George Porter, Jr. – bass *Leo Nocentelli, Rev. Edward Levone Batts – guitar *Herman Ernest – drums *James "Budd" Ellison – piano *Earl Turbinton – alto saxophone *Alvin Thomas – tenor saxophone *Clyde Kerr, Jr. - trumpet *Lester Caliste – trombone *Carl Blouin – baritone saxophone *Clarence Ford – alto saxophone Formats and tracklistings US 7" single #"Lady Marmalade" – 3:14 #"Space Children" – 3:04 Europe 7" single #"Lady Marmalade" – 3:14 #"It Took a Long Time" – 4:04 Charts and certifications Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications Sabrina version | B-side="Megamix" | Recorded = 1987 | Genre = Soul, Italo disco, funk | Length = 3:56 | Label = Baby Records | Writer = Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan | Last single="Sexy Girl" (1986) | This single="Lady Marmalade" (1987) | Next single="Boys (Summertime Love)" (1987) }} Background and release "Lady Marmalade" was covered by Italian pop star Sabrina. It was released in 1987 as the album's second single by Baby Records. In some countries, including France and the Netherlands, the song was known as "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? (Lady Marmalade)" and was released in 1988. Author James Arena named the cover among Sabrina's "relentlessly catchy" singles. Formats and tracklistings 7" maxi # "Lady Marmalade" – 3:55 # "Boys, Hot Girl, Sexy Girl" (7" megamix) – 4:10 12" maxi # "Lady Marmalade" (12" remix) – 5:57 # "Boys, Hot Girl, Sexy Girl" (12" megamix) – 6:04 CD maxi # "Lady Marmalade" (12" remix) – 6:08 # "Boys, Hot Girl, Sexy Girl" (megamix) – 6:04 # "Lady Marmalade" – 3:55 * Remixed by Peter Vriends, produced by Claudio Cecchetto Chart performance The song charted at number 36 on the Belgian Flanders Singles Chart, number 40 on the Dutch Single Top 100, and number 41 on the French Singles Chart. Credits and personnel Credits for Sabrina's version are adapted from CD liner notes: * Written by Bob Crewe and Kelly Nolan * Design – Bart Falkmann * Producer – C. Cecchetto * Remix – Peter Vriends All Saints version | Producer = Johnny Douglas, Timbaland | Last single="Never Ever" (1997) | This single="Under the Bridge"/"Lady Marmalade" (1998) | Next single="Bootie Call" (1998) | Misc = }} Background and release In 1998, English-Canadian girl group All Saints recorded a cover version of "Lady Marmalade" as part of the double A-sided single "Under the Bridge" / "Lady Marmalade". In Europe, only the "Lady Marmalade" single was released. The All Saints version contains different lyrics for its verses; the only lyrics retained from the original composition are the chorus. A version remixed by Timbaland appeared on the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. Reception "Lady Marmalade" was the third single taken from their self-titled debut studio album, it contained the "Marmalade" cover and a cover version of "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The single reached number one on the official UK Top 40 chart, becoming the group's second number-one hit. A total of 424,799 singles have been sold in the UK, with proceeds from the single going to breast cancer charities. Music video The video shows the band members and other people having a party in one of the buildings in some large city, at night. British actress Kathryn Allerston appears in the music video. Formats and tracklistings All Saints CD maxi single #"Lady Marmalade" ('98 mix) – 4:02 #"Lady Marmalade" (Mark's Miami Madness mix) – 7:55 #"Lady Marmalade" (Sharp South Park vocal remix) – 8:09 #"Lady Marmalade" (Henry & Hayne's La Jam mix) – 6:47 All Saints CD 1 #"Under the Bridge" – 5:03 #"Lady Marmalade" – 4:04 #"No More Lies" – 4:08 #"Lady Marmalade" (Henry & Haynes La Jam mix) – 9:23 #"Under the Bridge" (promo video) – 5:00 All Saints CD 2 #"Lady Marmalade" (Mark!'s Miami Madness mix) – 7:56 #"Lady Marmalade" (Sharp South Park vocal remix) – 8:10 #"Under the Bridge" (Ignorance remix featuring Jean Paul e.s.q) – 4:55 #"Get Bizzy" – 3:45 Chart performance Certifications ''Moulin Rouge!'' version | Length = 4:24 | Label = Interscope | Writer = Bob Crewe, Kenny Nolan, Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott | Producer = Rockwilder, Missy Elliott | Misc = }} }} Background and release In 2001, the song "Lady Marmalade" was featured as part of a medley in the film Moulin Rouge!. For the film's soundtrack album, Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, and Pink recorded a cover version; it was released as the soundtrack's first single in spring 2001. Produced by Missy Elliott and writing partner Rockwilder, it features an intro and outro from Elliott. A lyric was changed from the original version, with the song's setting being transferred from New Orleans to the Paris nightclub Moulin Rouge. Critical reception AllMusic's Brand Kohlenstein praised the song by highlighting it, adding that the ladies "teamed up for a surefire hit with their naughtier version of Patti Labelle's "Lady Marmalade."" Slant Magazine editor praised the collaboration, too: "the track is simply an accolade to the performers' various distinctive styles, with Lil' Kim trashing it up and Aguilera caterwauling her way through the second half of the song." However, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called the cover "god-awful". The Sun Journal opined that the Moulin! Rouge version helped the song "find a new life." Chart performance The song became a number-one hit on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for the second time, reaching number one in its eighth week and spending five weeks at the top of the chart. It was the third airplay-only song in Billboard chart history (after Aaliyah's 2000 single "Try Again" and Shaggy's 2001 single "Angel") to hit number one without being released in a major commercially available single format. The song also holds the record for the longest reigning number one on Billboard s Mainstream Top 40 chart for an all female collaboration, topping the chart for nine consecutive weeks. "Lady Marmalade" is the best-selling single for Lil' Kim and Mýa. Lil' Kim also held the record for having the longest number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 for a female rapper, with "Lady Marmalade" being on the top of the charts for 5 consecutive weeks, until Australian female rapper Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" held on to the number one position for seven weeks in 2014. The song was included on non-US versions of Aguilera's first greatest hits album, Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits. Lady Marmalade was the top selling song of 2001 and has sold 5.2 million copies worldwide as of December 2001. Music video The music video, directed by Paul Hunter, features all four performers in lingerie (rapper Missy Elliott makes a cameo appearance.) and was filmed at the end of March 2001 on sets (Los Angeles) built to resemble the actual Moulin Rouge night club around the turn of the century (1890–1910). The video won the MTV Video Music Award for "Best Video of the Year" and "Best Video from a Film"; it was also nominated for "Best Dance Video", "Best Pop Video", "Best Choreography" (Tina Landon), and "Best Art Direction". The song won a 2002 Grammy Award in the category of "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals". Track listings CD maxi #Lady Marmalade (Edit) – 4:24 #Lady Marmalade (Thunderpuss Radio Mix) – 4:09 #Lady Marmalade (Thunderpuss Club Mix) – 9:48 #Lady Marmalade (Thunderpuss Mixshow Mix) – 6:21 Chart performance Year-end charts Decade-end charts Certifications }} }} }} }} }} }} |nocat=yes}} References External links * }} Category:1974 singles Category:1987 singles Category:1998 singles Category:2001 singles Category:Labelle songs Category:Songs about New Orleans Category:All Saints (group) songs Category:Christina Aguilera songs Category:Lil' Kim songs Category:Mýa songs Category:George Michael songs Category:Pink (singer) songs Category:Sabrina Salerno songs Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles Category:Billboard Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Australia Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Germany Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand Category:Number-one singles in Norway Category:Number-one singles in Spain Category:Number-one singles in Sweden Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles Category:MTV Video of the Year Award Category:Music videos directed by Paul Hunter (director) Category:Songs written for films Category:Songs written by Bob Crewe Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Category:Song recordings produced by Frank Farian Category:Song recordings produced by Rockwilder Category:Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Category:Epic Records singles Category:Interscope Records singles Category:London Records singles Category:Songs written by Kenny Nolan Category:Works set in the Moulin Rouge Category:1974 songs Category:Multilingual songs Category:Universal Music Group singles Category:Songs about prostitutes Category:Hip hop soul songs Category:Dance-pop songs